The present invention relates to a rechargeable lithium battery packet, and more particularly to a battery packet having a strengthened plastic casing to enclose a plurality of lithium batteries therein. The rechargeable lithium battery packet is conveniently portable and loadable, and is suitable for use with a flashlight to supply energy needed for a bulb of the flashlight to emit light. The repeatedly usable lithium battery packet also reduces environmental pollution possibly caused by arbitrarily discarded batteries.
A flashlight is a necessary electrical appliance for most families, stores, and business locations. It is particularly helpful in power failures caused by earthquake, hurricane, fire, flood, etc. to get rid of fear in the dark. A conventional flashlight is powered with alkaline or dry batteries to supply energy needed for a bulb of the flashlight to emit light. Alkaline or dry batteries have the following disadvantages: (a) exhausted alkaline or dry batteries are either discarded or recovered, and users have to buy new ones to replace the old ones that results in unnecessary waste of money; and (b) alkaline or dry batteries are heavy in weight that plus the weight of the flashlight forms an inconvenience to users.
There are rechargeable batteries and lead-acid rechargeable batteries developed to replace the alkaline and dry batteries. These types of batteries have the advantages of being rechargeable and dischargeable for repeated use. They are, however, bulky in volume and must be refilled with battery liquid after being used for a period of time. Due to the bulky volume and the weight almost several times as heavy as the alkaline/dry batteries, the lead-acid rechargeable batteries are usually used with wall-mount safety lighting fixtures, motorcycles, and automobiles as a power source, but not suitable for use with the hand-held flashlights.
Light and convenient nickel-cadmium batteries and nickel-hydrogen batteries are therefore developed to replace the conventional batteries for use with flashlights. The nickel-cadmium and nickel-hydrogen batteries have the advantages of light in weight, convenient for use, repeatedly rechargeable and dischargeable, and the disadvantage of causing heavy metal pollution. Moreover, the nickel-cadmium and nickel-hydrogen batteries have the so-called battery memory effect. Thus, it is necessary to discharge any unused power of these types of batteries before they can be recharged, in order to avoid a shortened usable life of the batteries.
A common drawback for the above-mentioned various kinds of batteries is that they all appear in individual form for use. When a user wants to load the flashlight, he or she must insert the batteries one by one. This is, of course, very inconvenient for the user to do so, particularly when the flashlight is to be used in an emergency. And, the flashlight would be completely useless in case of any shortage of the batteries. In a worst condition, the user might lose life because failing to quickly insert sufficient number of batteries into the flashlight. Another common problem with the batteries is that the battery liquid tends to leak due to humidity and heat after the batteries have been loaded in the flashlight for a prolonged time.
It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop an improved rechargeable lithium battery packet to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks existing in the conventional batteries for flashlights.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a rechargeable lithium battery packet that encloses a plurality of lithium batteries in a strengthened plastic casing to provide a modularized battery packet. The modularized battery packet can be more conveniently inserted into a flashlight and is wet-proof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a rechargeable lithium battery packet that includes rechargeable and dischargeable lithium batteries for repeated use to reduce environmental pollution possibly caused by discarded batteries, and does not have memory effect to enable immediately charge without the need of discharging any remained battery power.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a rechargeable lithium battery packet that has the advantages of light in weight, prolonged usable life, increased supply voltage, and large dischargeable current.
The rechargeable lithium battery packet of the present invention is characterized in a strengthened plastic casing accommodating a plurality of repeatedly usable lithium batteries therein, provided with an internal protective circuit board, positive and negative terminals, and a charger receptacle, and coated with a layer of insulating film.